The Heckling Hare
The Heckling Hare is a 1941 Merrie Melodies short directed by Tex Avery. Plot Bugs is being hunted by a dog named Willoughby but the dog falls for every trap Bugs sets for him until they both fall off a cliff at the end. Lost Ending Originally, the ending scene had Bugs and Willoughby fall off three cliffs. After the second tumble, Bugs then told the audience, "Hold on to your hats, folks. Here we go again!" during the third trip down. For reasons unknown, Schlesinger interfered with the production of this scene. the most popular story is that the "Hold on to your hats" line referred to a sexual euphemism (or punchline to a dirty joke) that was then in circulation (though a similar line had been allowed in "Daffy Duck & Egghead": "Hold your seats, folks, here we go again!").https://books.google.com/books?id=vsZYihpCoHMC&pg=PA59 Rationale of the Dirty Joke Another possible story was that Leon Schlesinger objected to the end because he didn't like the idea that Avery possibly killed off Bugs Bunny, since the cartoon ended with Bugs and Willoughby falling off a cliff.http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-h.aspx According to Martha Sigall, Schlesinger objected to how repetitive and overly-long the second fall was. He instructed Avery to cut it. Avery insisted that it should remain, but, as the boss, Schlesinger insisted it be removed.Sigall (2005), p. 49 From Schlesinger's point of view, the dispute was over his right to do as he pleased with the films he was paying for. From Avery's point of view, the dispute was over artistic interference.Cohen (2004), p. 39 Avery was suspended for four weeks for the dispute with his boss on April 2, 1941. The quarrel was reported in an article for The Hollywood Reporter.Cohen (2004), p. 39 During his suspension, Avery was hired by MGM, where he stayed for most of the 1940s and 1950s, creating such classic cartoons as "Red Hot Riding Hood" (and all the cartoons that feature the Wolf and Red the showgirl, such as "Swing Shift Cinderella," "Little Rural Riding Hood," and the now-controversial "Uncle Tom's Cabana"), "Blitz Wolf", "One Cab's Family", and cartoons featuring characters such as Droopy Dog and Screwy Squirrel. Availability * VHS - Cartoon Moviestars: Bugs Bunny Classics: Special Collector's Edition * LaserDisc - Cartoon Moviestars: Bugs Bunny Classics: Special Collector's Edition * VHS - Bugs Bunny Collection: The Very Best of Bugs * LaserDisc - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 1, Side 7: Bugs Bunny By Each Director * VHS - The Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 7: Bugs Bunny By Each Director * VHS - Looney Tunes: The Collectors Edition, Vol. 8: Tex-Book Looney (1995 Turner dubbed version, edited) * DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2, Disc One (with optional audio by Greg Ford and archive audio by Tex Avery) * DVD - Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3, Disc 2 (part of What's Up Doc: A Salute to Bugs Bunny) Censorship * Most televised versions of this cartoon, specifically the versions shown on the Ted Turner-owned cable networks such as TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang, cut out Willoughby saying "Yeah!" as the cartoon ends to cover up the fact that the cartoon has a missing ending (see "Lost Ending" for a detailed explanation). The version released on most home media versions (VHS, LaserDisc and the Golden Collection DVD set) does not restore the lost ending, but does leave in Willoughby saying, "Yeah!" just as the short abruptly ends. ** Though the USA 1995 Turner print contains this aforementioned edit, however the European 1995 Turner print on the other hand does leave in Willoughby saying, "Yeah!" just as the short abruptly ends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06_hGrzuku0&list=PLgIIsWrdjwE4gFV-Tsowasc88ALZpQwya&index=5&t=0s. * In Super RTL (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) airings of this short, the Bugs and Willoughby falling' gag is shortenedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_EEB8wZTKs Notes * This is the second-to-last Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Tex Avery to be released. The last, "All This and Rabbit Stew", was produced before this film. Additionally, it was the fifth cartoon for Bugs and the 55th cartoon Avery directed at Warner Bros. * The Merrie Melodies opening sequence also featured the first usage of the Warner Bros. shield logo zooming in with a carrot-munching Bugs Bunny lying on top of it. Here, after the zoom-in and a couple of bites of his carrot, Bugs pulls down the Merrie Melodies title screen like it is a shade. ** Starting with this cartoon, the words "WARNER BROS." and "Present" are already on the screen, and would be for all future Bugs Bunny cartoons, excluding "Hold the Lion, Please" and "A Corny Concerto", until "Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips". However, beginning with "All This and Rabbit Stew", Bugs does not pulls down the Merrie Melodies title screen like a shade as in this cartoon; instead the WB shield title then fades to the Merrie Melodies title screen. After Nips the Nips, the Bugs Bunny head would appear after the WB shield zooms in starting with "Hare Ribbin'". ** From 1941 to 1944, in this Warner Bros. shield logo zooming in with a carrot-munching Bugs Bunny lying on top of it, Bugs Bunny always bites on his carrot twice. The only exception of such is the 1944 Blue Ribbon reissue of "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt", where Bugs bites the carrot only once, and munches on it for a much longer time. ** 1945 saw a revamped version of the Warner Bros. shield logo zooming in with a carrot-munching Bugs Bunny lying on top of it, beginning with "Hare Trigger" and ending with "Hare Do". This version uses the modern Bugs Bunny design by Robert McKimson, and once again Bugs pulls down the Merrie Melodies/Looney Tunes title screen like a shade as in this one (though this time, another noticeable difference in the animation is that Bugs bites on his carrot only once and munches on the carrot for a much shorter time). Bugs' head would appear again replacing the WB shield in every Bugs cartoon from 1949 (except for "Hare Do") until the Termite Terrace studio closed. * The European 1995 Turner print has the 1947-1948 Merrie Melodies dubbed ending card and keeps also the 1941-1955 ending music rendition of "Merrily We Roll Along". It has also Willoughby's line before the ending credits intact. The American 1995 Turner print has the 1937-38 Merrie Melodies dubbed card and replaces the 1941-1955 ending music rendition of "Merrily We Roll Along" to the rendition that was shown on the 1938-1941 Merrie Melodies cartoons. * This cartoon is notable to have the longest falling sequence in the history of cinema. Gallery The_Heckling_Hare_Staff.jpg|Staff credits HecklingHare001.jpg|The original script (click to see more) References External Links * The Heckling Hare at SuperCartoons.net * The Heckling Hare at B99.TV Category:Bugs Bunny Cartoons Category:Cartoons directed by Tex Avery Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts Category:Shorts Category:1941 Category:Cartoons written by Michael Maltese Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling Category:Cartoons animated by Charles McKimson Category:Cartoons animated by Sid Sutherland Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown Category:Cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Tex Avery Category:Cartoons in a.a.p. package Category:Cartoons with camera by John W. Burton